


A Single Starfish

by GuardianKarenTerrier



Series: Writing Prompts [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Also seriously, Bonding, Found Family, Gen, Like, M/M, Other, Team Bonding, Teasing, and get it to go 'holy crow these kids need some kind of intervention', how messed up is your life that you find an ancient magical artefact, i honestly just wanted to make a voltron joke, i may have a bit of a thing for found family, i'm sure there are more relationships than the explicitly mentioned one but, inappropriate use of magic abilities, mom friend excalibur, so many nerdy jokes, the characters dont want to tell me what they are, this wandered off without me really, unnecessary ninja turtles jokes, what are you kids actually DOING with your lives, writing prompt response
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-05
Updated: 2016-10-04
Packaged: 2018-08-19 15:50:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8215426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GuardianKarenTerrier/pseuds/GuardianKarenTerrier
Summary: Written in response to the prompt: "When King Arthur died, legend states that his sword, Excalibur, was reclaimed by the Lady of the Lake; there it supposedly waits for Arthur’s return. While on a lake fishing tour around Great Britain, a mysterious hand raises a beautifully ornate sword in front of your group. You, as well as several other tour-goers, instinctively grab hold of the sword all at once. The hand glides silently back under the water, never indicating who among you the sword was meant for…"
Except this did not go in the superhero direction I was aiming for, but rather in the 'Excalibur is now Mom! Friend' direction, which... how. How did this happen. 
Excalibur chose them all, but they're not at all sure what they've been chosen for.





	

“Well,” one of the others- you think he said his name was Tiko- says, staring at the now-smooth water. “Uh. Now what?”

“Form Voltron?” Jordan asks, inspiring you to punch him in the arm.  

“Maybe it _isn’t_ Excalibur,” the other young woman with her hand wrapped around the hilt (and your hand) suggests. 

“Yes, because there are sure a whole lot of lakes in Great Britain with strange ladies distributing magic swords.” 

“Jordan, I’m going to push you off the boat now.”  

“Ashley, I can’t swim.”

You shove him over anyway.  “Time to learn!” 

As his hand slips from the sword, it vanishes in a flash of light. The four of you remaining stare at each other, then go about hauling Jordan back in without tipping the boat (it’s not even a big boat. You split off from the main groups with these people you met around the campfire last night. You are probably not actually allowed in this part of the lake). 

When Tiko’s hand meets Jordan’s, there’s another flash of light and the sword reappears. Everyone startles and curses, and it vanishes again in a third flash.

“You know what, a strobing sword is not how we stay inconspicuous, let’s land on that island and discuss this,” the dark-haired guy from presumably-Tiko’s group says at last. 

Jordan falls back into the water and starts swimming towards the island (liar).  “Good plan.” 

“What’s your name, anyway?” you ask dark-haired guy. 

“Raphael,” he says shortly. 

“Cool, I’m Donatello.” 

“I’m Leo,” Jordan chips in, now doing the backstroke alongside you. 

Tiko smiles faintly. “Michael.” 

The as-yet-unnamed girl giggles and offers, “April.”

Raphael groans. “I hate all of you now, get off the boat.” 

Oh you’re already at the island. “Sure, but-“ you offer a hand up to April as you hop onto dry land, then grin at her and glance around. 

She giggles again and fistbumps you before grabbing Raphael and Tiko’s hands as you grab onto her and Jordan. “Form Voltron!” 

The sword reappears. 

“This is the worst superpower ever,” Raphael grumbles. “We have one sword for five people.” 

You haul him sideways as you try to swing the sword, making Tiko lose hold and causing the sword to disappear again. “No this is awesome. We’re the chosen ones.” 

“Ash, no!” Jordan swoons, dramatically splaying his hand over his heart. “You never say that! It’s like saying ‘what else could go wrong?’ It’s an invitation!” 

“Okay, she still has a point,” Tiko points out. “It, ah, chose us. Um. Anyone know what for?” 

Jordan points at him. “You. Switch names with Donatello here.” 

“Not helping,” Raphael cuts in. 

“Maybe that’s all it’s for, though?” Jordan suggests, head thumping back on the sand. “Letting us know we’re chosen?” 

“What is this, Digimon?” 

“Michelangelo, don’t encourage him,” Raphael groans. 

“I thought I was Donatello now.” 

“I thought you were Tiko.” April’s smile is really very pretty. 

“I- am? I thought we were doing a thing….” 

“Okay, ignore her too,” Raphael cuts in, “We still have a problem here. I don’t even know where you three are _from_.” 

“Yeah, well, I don’t know where _you_ three are- “ Your pointing finger falls away. “Wait.”

Everyone turns to look at Tiko, who cringes. “I, uh. I kinda live. At that campsite? I thought… I thought you all knew.”

“Awesome, but irrelevant,” Jordan declares. “Can we use your camp home as a secret base?” 

“We are not superheroes!” Raphael shouts. 

“You don’t know my life!” Jordan shouts back. 

You hold out a hand to April as the shouting escalates. “I’m actually Ashley.” 

Her grin is full of mischief. “I’m going to stick with April, I think.”

Eventually you split back up amidst more yelling (’we can’t form Voltron without you!” ‘shut _up_ , Leonardo!’) but not before swapping contact information. 

You and Jordan weren’t that into the fishing tour, so you tag along with Tiko back to his campsite. He didn’t actually invite you but he doesn’t ask you to leave, and within the week you’re all living out of each other’s tents. 

April texts you every day. She teaches you and Tiko how to snapchat (after Jordan buys Tiko a phone, anyway). 

Jordan, in contrast, sends Raphael terrible puns and memes every few hours. For weeks. And Jordan sleeps like he’s a cat (wherever, whenever), so it’s a twenty-four hour thing and you apologize to April for keeping her up but she says he isn’t. 

When the tour is over April and Raphael come back to the campsite and you spend three nights straight drinking and singing awful camp songs and telling terrible campfire stories. Raphael and Jordan fight like cats in a wet sack. 

“Leo, literally everyone has heard the hook thing. It did _not_ happen to you.”

“Dude it’s more reasonable than _Excalibur_.” 

“That’s your excuse for everything.”

“Do you know On My Honor?” you ask Tiko as you drop onto the log next to him. 

He snorts as he stirs the fire. “I still refuse to believe you were in Scouts.” 

“We’re Sailor Scouts together now partner,” you holler, throwing an arm around him as April starts laughing again. 

You don’t become superheroes. You don’t save the world. You argue about which Planeteer you get to be and you get into a food fight over what lion color you would have (because Jordan, Raphael, and April _all_ want to be the black lion) and you don’t leave. You quit setting up separate tents up until you find Raphael and Jordan kissing in the woods one day and then you banish them both to Jordan’s old one-man military tent frequently. 

Tiko lives out here and he teaches you to hunt and Jordan goes shopping sometimes and no one ever asks him where he gets money. 

You abuse your power to summon Excalibur when you need to chop more wood. It’s probably the most over-complicated way to chop firewood ever. You love it. 

Jordan does random trust falls. April is the only one who catches him.  

You and April collect trash and build Jordan a drum set out of it. Music nights somehow get louder. 

It’s clear soon enough that no one has anyone else waiting for them, but that isn’t something you discuss. 

You were chosen. Maybe you weren’t chosen _for_ anything. 

(Maybe for each other).


End file.
